Extension cord tap



Sept. 2, 1952 s. M. WEISBERG 2,609

I EXTENSION CORD TAP Filed April 14. 1950 d g I \HW/ lllmlll ,9;

1 N VEN TOR.

Patented Sept. 2, 1 952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EXTENSION CORD TAPfiidney M. Weisberg, Newark, N. J., assignor to- Allied ElectricProducts, Inc.,.Irvington, N. J., a. corporation of New Jersey, n piianene ru 14, 1950, Serial No. 155,799

v 1 Claim.

The invention disclosed in this patent relates to cord taps forextending electrical circuits, and important objects of the inventionare to provide a multiple outlet tap of a self-supporting characterwhich will lay fiat and stay in place on a floor, table, bench or othersuch support.

Further special objects of the invention are to provide a tap of thischaracter which will be self-protective in the sense that it maybedropped or even stepped upon Without injury.

Other important objects of the invention are to provide a tap having allthese characteristics, in a form which can be quickly and easilyassembled and which with all advantages may be produced at low cost.

Other desirable objects and the novel features of construction,combination and relation of parts through which the purposes of theinvention are attained are set. forth or will appear in the course ofthe following specification.

The drawing accompanying and forming part of the specificationillustrates a present commercial embodiment of the invention. Structure,however, may be modified and changed as regards the immediateillustration, all within the true intent and broad scope of theinvention as hereinafter defined and claimed.

Fig. 1 in the drawing is a top plan view of the tap with the servicecord shown broken away;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the tap taken on approximatelythe plane of line 2-2 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View taken on substantially the plane ofline 33 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view on substantially the plane of line4-4 of Fig. 3;

Figs. 5 and 6 are vertical cross sectional views on substantially theplanes of lines 55 and 6-45, respectively, of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is an end elevation of the tap with the cord appearing insection;

Fig. '8 is a side elevation of one of the contact and wire terminalforming bars, before closing the terminal jaws over the wire end;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the contact-terminal bar;

Fig. 10 is a side elevation of the same showing the wire grippingfingers closed about the wire end;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged broken plan view showing the wire ends secured tothe two contact forming terminal bars used in the tap.

The body or base of the device is shown in Fig. 1 as elongated,generally elliptical in shape and comprising a flat, elongated andlaterally extended flange portion l5 carrying a parallel sided, flat topblock formation [6.

The latter has attachment blade receiving openings H in the top of thesame, in this case three pairs of such openings for three differentattachment plugs.

One end of the block is extended and tapered down at I8 to form areinforcing neckportion for the cord l9. v

The cord receiving opening 20 in this extended neck portion of the blockopens out and forks at 2|, Fig. 4, into two longitudinally extendingparallel channels 22 beneath the attachment blade openings I1 and incommunication therewith by'upwardly extending parallel branches 25.

The latter, as indicated particularly in Fig. 5, are inwardly indentedat-their inner sides, at 2G, to receive correspondingly inclinedportions of the contact strips.

The longitudinally extending channels 22 are shown in Figs. 5 and 6 asconnected together across the top by a continuous transverse passage 25which allows for expansion and stretching necessary to get the contactbars or strips in place.

The one-piece base construction described is made of soft rubber,plastic or other suitable elastic insulating material.

The contact bars or strips are designated 25 and these are shown as of asize to closely fit in the side channels 22 and as having upwardlyextending prongs 21 inclined toward the center of the block to match theinner inclined sides 24 of the vertical passages 23.

The inclined contact prongs 21 are shown in Figs. 3, 8 and 10 as havingslanting or inclined forward edges 28 to facilitate the forcing of thestrips into place and to act more or less as ratchet teeth as the prongsslip into position in the attachment blade sockets, as shown in Fig. 3.

Embossments 29 on the sides of the strips at the base of the contactspurs or prongs 2! are positioned for engagement by the perforationsusually provided in the ends of the attachment plug blades.

The outer ends of the strips are shown in Figs. 8 and 9 as formed at theupper edge with a loop 30 to receive the insulated portion 3| of thewire and with a lug 32 to wrap about this portion of the Wire and belowthis, with companion lugs 33 to close about the core of the wire.

Fig. 11 shows how the two conductors of the cord l9 are securedmechanically and electrically to the ends of the conductor strips, andFigs. 3 and 4 show how the strips and connected 3 wires will beinterlocked and firmly held in the block.

After connection of the wires with the contact strips, the cord passagein the tapered end portion of the elastic block may be opened by anexpanding tool sufliciently to admit the strips, and the strips then beforced in by an appropriate tool to the fully seated position shown inFigs. 3 and 4. The strips then become interlocked in the block throughthe entry of the contact prongs 21 in the upright blade receivingpassages 23. This interlocked engagement is so complete that the contactstrips cannot thereafter be removed. Also, these metal parts are sodeeply buried in the elastic material that they will not be injured orbent out of shape even under rough treatment or dropping of heavyobjects thereon. Also, the inherent flexibility permits the base to betwisted and bent in various ways without injuring the tap.

The securing of both the core and the insulated portion of the wires,and the bending of these wires at right angles as shown in Fig. 3,provides desirable strain relief, so that it is practically impossibleto pull the cord out of the tap.

The elastic plug base and the two contact strips can be produced and,with the wires connected, be quickly and easily assembled in final form,all at relatively low cost.

The tapered neck portion of the base reinforces and braces the cordwhere it issues from the base.

The extended flange portions at the sides give the base desiredstability, preventing it from tipping one way or the other. Theseflanges are shown as having holes '34 part way through the same from theback, which may be used for nails, screws or other fastenings if it isdesired to secure the tap in fast position, for example on a wall orother support. 7

4 What is claimed is: A cord tap comprising an elongated, one-piece,elastic base having a, cord inlet in one end, spaced,

' parallel, longitudinally extending channels, fork passages extendingfrom said cord inlet into said spaced, parallel channels, alongitudinally extending passage connecting said parallel channels andcontact blade receiving branches extending from said channels up throughthe top of the base at opposite sides of said longitudinally extendingpassage, elongated contact bars seated in said parallel channels andhaving upstanding contact prongs extending up into said branches andwire terminals on the ends of the contact bars nearest the cord inletfor securing and holding the wires of an electric cord in said forkedportion of the cord inlet, the inner edges of said upstanding prongsbeing inclined to facilitate the forcing of the contact bars through thecord inlet into the channels and the interlocking engagement of theprongs in the branches, the inner walls of said branches being inwardlyindented and the upper ends of said contact prongs being inclinedinwardly to enter and interlock in said inwardly indented walls.

SIDNEY MJWEISBERG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the

